Events in the Jibala and, the Riff 83
heart of the Beni Unaghel country, the French mass of
manoeuvre, although much hampered by the bad
weather conditions, had advanced from the right of the
line at Taza and driven the tribesmen back. A junc-
tion was effected with the Spanish column operating
from Melilla at Sidi-el-Hassen, and everything seemed
to be couleur de rose But General Winter, most formid-
able of all opponents, could no longer be ignored, and by
the end of October operations were over for the year
The severity of the winter climate m Morocco is not
perhaps generally realized in England, since most people
who visit North Africa at that season of the year
wisely decide to seek sunshine in Marrakesh or Biskra
But those who have penetrated into the mountains of
the Jibala and the Riff understand the impossibility of
conducting large-scale military operations at a time
when roads become impassable, and streams turn into
unfordable rivers Even as late as April I have seen the
orange groves of Xauen under snow, and I have noted
snow on the mountain peaks of the Beni Uriaghel in
May It was essential that the troops—there was now
a very large army in Morocco—should go into winter
quarters according to the traditions of Caesar
Marshal Petain, however, considering the complete
defeat of Abd-el-Krim now only a question of time, left
the country on November 8th, having handed over
command to General Boichut, and General Pnmo de
Rivera for his part returned to Madrid leaving General
Sanjurjo, whose exploits had caused him to become
known as the Lion of Morocco, in the position of high
commissioner Before doing so he saw the fourteen-
year-old Mulai Hassan installed as khalifa—an office
he still holds—in place of his father, who had died two
years before